A man's death in police custody in a hospital was an unlawful killing, an inquest jury decided. The man had been subdued by officers and was in a medical facility when he died.
In February 2021, Brian Ringrose, 24, of Milton Keynes, was said to have passed away from what was described as "prolonged face down restraint"
A jury at Milton Keynes Coroner's Court reached a verdict of manslaughter concerning his death after a six-week inquest. One of the officers involved in the restraint, Police Constable Martyn Jones, was later fired from the force for what was deemed "excessive use of force"
Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt expressed his force's "deepest apologies" and termed as "entirely unacceptable" the events that led to the death of Mr. Ringrose.
Information was provided to jurors concerning the arrest of Mr. Ringrose, a father of three, by police.
Why were the police involved? Because a report was received concerning a domestic incident.
When they got there, they found Mr. Ringrose had taken too much of his prescribed mental health medication. So they took him to a hospital to receive some medical attention.
The inquest, presided over by Coroner Dr. Sean Cummings, revealed that Mr. Ringrose showed signs of being agitated and not really aware of what was going on at the time he was admitted.
Hospital staff wrongly told the police that Mr. Ringrose had been discharged into their custody when, in fact, he was not medically fit to be discharged. Despite the jury's findings to the contrary, the police were wrongly told by hospital staff that Mr. Ringrose had been discharged into their custody. Despite this, Mr. Ringrose was sent back to the custody of PC Martyn Jones and PC Daniel Simson.
For about 25 minutes, restraint was used.
During the proceedings, an expert witness testified that restraining Mr. Ringrose in such a manner would have made it difficult for him to breathe.
Afterward, five police officers fastened Mr. Ringrose to a flexible rescue stretcher and carried him through the hospital to a police van.
The jury came to the conclusion that the police officers did not react properly to the abnormal breathing of Mr. Ringrose, which by this time had worsened.
Mr. Ringrose died in the hospital six days later after an oxygen-deprived brain injury.
In July 2024, the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) found that PC Jones and PC Simson had committed gross misconduct. As a result, PC Jones lost his position, while PC Simson got a close call. He was almost fired; instead, he received a final written warning.
Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt remarked: "Mr. Ringrose experienced excessive restraint, forced upon him by a former officer, which was completely unacceptable. The method used was, and still is, a not-approved containment method and did not conform with the commissioner's operational order or standard practices.
Regional Director Charmaine Arbouin of IOPC stated that the office had asked the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider if they should charge the two officers with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
She added that the decision of the CPS was not to bring any charges. She also remarked that using a "flexible lift and carry system" to move Mr. Ringrose to a police van had been stopped in all police forces in England and Wales.
A touching testament, Mary Ringrose, Mr. Ringrose's mother, stated: "Brian was a wonderful son, dad, and brother; he was an awesome uncle and cousin.
"He was humorous and kind. I think about him daily and wish he were still around."
https://www.college.police.uk/app/detention-and-custody/control-restraint-and-searches
https://witnessdirectory.com/signup.php
